


Stroke of Midnight

by nepenthe_writer



Series: WinterIron Bingo [22]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cinderella Fusion, Cinderella Bucky, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Metal Arm is Bucky's Glass Slipper, Prince Tony - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:33:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21653053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nepenthe_writer/pseuds/nepenthe_writer
Summary: Bucky is under the control of the evil Lord Pierce ever since an accident killed his family and stole his left arm. For ten years Bucky has toiled for the Pierce family until the announcement of a ball in honor of Prince Anthony gives him the chance to escape for just one glorious night and perhaps, a brighter future with the Prince of his dreams.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: WinterIron Bingo [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1374691
Comments: 32
Kudos: 100
Collections: WinterIron Bingo 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Square: G2 - Crossover for the WinterIron Bingo
> 
> This is a crossover with Disney's 1950 Cinderella

Dawn sunlight streamed through the window of Bucky’s sparse bedroom landing directly on his face and pulling him from his slumber. Groaning under his breath Bucky pulled the pillow out from underneath his head and used it to smother his face and block out the light that was so rudely keeping him from sleep. No sooner had he done that then the town church bells started ringing out the dawn hour letting him know unequivocally that it was time for him to get up and start his day.

Tossing the pillow back onto its spot at the top of the bed Bucky rolled over the side and made his way over to the wash basin. If he was quick about it he’d have enough time to wash away the sleep from his body without being late to start his tasks for the day. Lord Pierce was never happy when Bucky was late to start and there was always punishment when that happened.

It had been a little over ten years since the accident that had led Bucky to come to live with Lord Alexander Pierce. Bucky had just been nine years old at the time coming back from a trip with his family when the carriage driver had lost control of the horses on some uneven ground and sent the whole thing toppling down a small ravine. In less than a minute of complete terror Bucky had lost not only his left arm but his entire family all in one terrible accident.

Lord Alexander Pierce who had two sons of his own, Brock and Jack, of a similar age as Bucky had offered to take the boy in instead of having Bucky sent away to an orphanage which is where Lord Pierce had made it clear to Bucky that he would have gone to otherwise. At first Bucky had thought himself extremely lucky to have escaped an orphanage knowing the stories of what could happen to children there. He hadn’t known at the time the cost that would come from escaping such a fate.

The Barnes family had been very wealthy members of the nobility making their money trading between cities and the small remote towns of the kingdom. Making their wealth in such a common manner instead of from taxing their land and those that lived on it had set them apart from most other nobles leaving very few to care about the now orphaned boy. With the death of the rest of his family Bucky was set to inherit that wealth upon reaching adulthood and Lord Pierce was very interested in getting control of that wealth for himself.

With Bucky as his charge Lord Pierce was able to access the Barnes family fortune under the guise of doing so in order to maintain Bucky’s upkeep as he grew up. Instead the money was redirected to Lord Pierce’s own wants and ventures while Bucky was molded into a servant for the household unaware of the Lord’s subterfuge.

Ten years of constant abuse and neglect had worn Bucky down. More than half his life had been spent under the thumb of Lord Pierce and even having reached adulthood and gained the legal ability to take back his family’s fortune he didn’t know where to begin. Bucky didn’t even know that there was a fortune for him to lay claim to. Lord Pierce had been very careful over the past decade to make sure that Bucky knew he was being taken care of at Lord Pierce’s great expense and doing work around the household was the least that Bucky could do to pay back the debt that he owed to Lord Pierce’s kindness of keeping him out of the greedy hands of the orphanages that would have just taken advantage of a young boy all on his own in the world.

All of this meant that Bucky was quick to finish his wash so that he could get down to the kitchen to start heating up the water for the tea and coffee that Lord Pierce, Brock, and Jack would take along with their breakfasts. The kitchen was dark and quiet when Bucky entered, the stove having burned down to just embers overnight.

Getting started Bucky added more wood to the fire to get the heat going again and put a kettle on the stove to get the water warmed up. Once that was all set up he went to go and grab the basket of seed to feed the chickens with while he collected the eggs for breakfast only to find Lucifer curled up in the basket glaring at him through slitted eyes.

“Shoo now you cat,” Bucky scolded as he waved his hand at the cat trying to get him to move. “You have a perfectly good bed upstairs. Why don’t you go and use that for a change instead of bothering me?”

Lucifer made no move to get out of the basket and just kneaded at the seed he was laying on top of. As if the humans in the house couldn’t be demanding enough Bucky swore that their cat was out to get him just as much. Not having time to deal with this, Bucky reached into the basket and scooped a hand under Lucifer and lifted him out to set on the floor. Despite being as gentle as he could with only one hand the cat yowled and scratched along the back of Bucky’s hand in retaliation for being moved in the first place.

“Damn cat,” Bucky hissed and swore as Lucifer ran off into the house and away from him.

The claws hadn’t broken through his skin despite leaving angry looking scratches behind and the light was getting brighter outside as dawn broke and turned into morning. There was no time to worry about scratches at the moment so Bucky merely grabbed up the basket and went outside to feed the chickens and collect the eggs that had been laid during the night.

It was a rush but in the end Bucky was able to get breakfast made and ready in time to be able to bring to the others in bed. Tea, toast, and scrambled eggs for Lord Pierce. Black coffee, oatmeal, and three hard boiled eggs for Brock. Coffee with milk and four over easy eggs for Jack. Each man had their own particular order and would be a nightmare for the rest of the day if even the slightest thing was off.

Loading up the three plates and cups onto one serving tray to be able to carry everything at once Bucky made his way out of the kitchen and up to the bedrooms where the men were waiting for their morning meal. By the time Bucky reached the second floor hallway where the bedrooms where his arm was beginning to tremble from the strain of holding up the tray one handed.

Balancing the tray along his forearm to free his hand to open Lord Pierce’s door to serve him first was always a blessing and a curse. It relieved some of the strain on his arm by changing up the position but it also made the balance much more precarious. It was being off balance like that which proved to be the fatal flaw when Bucky walked into the bedroom. Lucifer darted out from behind him straight underneath Lord Pierce’s bed, tangling himself around Bucky feet in the process, tripping the man and sending the tray and all of the food crashing to the ground right at the foot of Lord Pierce’s bed. Bucky stared down at the mess in abject horror.

“You’re having a bad morning I see,” Lord Pierce said in a softly dangerous voice from where he was propped up in bed, Lucifer now curled up in his lap. “That’s such a shame.”


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky gulped as Lord Pierce’s gaze felt like it was searing a hole right through him. Breakfast was now scattered all over the bedroom floor unable to be eaten and causing a mess in the process. It hadn’t been his fault that the damn cat had tripped him in revenge for making him get out of the chicken feed. Bucky had just been doing his chores like he was supposed to. That was all he had wanted to do. The better he did his chores the less notice was paid to him and the fewer punishments that were thrown his way.

“I’m sorry Lord Pierce,” Bucky said quietly, eyes firmly on the ground. He wanted to rant that it wasn’t his fault but he knew that would be just about the worst possible thing he could do. “I’ll get breakfast remade and brought right up and then I’ll clean the mess up.”

Lord Pierce clicked his tongue and shook his head. “You shouldn’t have to do that boy. You know what the expectations are.”

Bucky couldn’t stop himself from interjecting in his own defense even knowing it would most likely only add to his punishment. “But I was only trying to - ”

“Silence!” Lord Pierce snapped, cutting Bucky off. “It seems you have too much time on your hands if you think you can make breakfast twice for everyone in the morning. Perhaps we can put it to better use. Now let me see,” Lord Pierce paused as he thought over the punishment to be doled out for Bucky’s failure to serve a prompt breakfast. “There’s the large carpet in the main hall. Clean it! And the windows upstairs and down. Wash them! Oh yes, and the tapestries and the draperies - ”

Once again Bucky couldn’t stop himself from interrupting at the unfairness of everything even knowing how useless it would be. “But I just finished -”

“Do them again!” Lord Pierce ordered, anger blazing in his eyes at Bucky’s continued defiance. “And don’t forget the garden and scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimney, and of course there’s the mending, the sewing, and the laundry. Oh yes, and one more thing, see that Lucifer gets his bath.”

Bucky cast a glance down at the cat laying curled up in Lord Pierce’s lap and used every bit of willpower that he had not to curl his lips at that last chore. His arm was already scratched up just from getting Lucifer out of the basket this morning. Giving him a bath was a nightmare and a half and Bucky knew that by the end of it he would bleed for the cause.

“Yes Lord Pierce,” was the only response that Bucky could force himself to give.

He had tried to argue back twice already and gotten nowhere with it. If he wasn’t careful he would argue himself right out of Lord Pierce’s generosity and end up out on the streets penniless and far worse off then he currently was. True this wasn’t the life that he wanted for himself but it was his only option at the moment. He just had to keep doing his best for right now until someday his dream of a better life would come true. When that happened he would grab onto it tightly and never let go. It was that hope that he kept firmly in mind as he made his way back down to the kitchen to make a second breakfast for the rest of the household.

~

On the other side of the kingdom, in the castle that dominated the landscape, there was another man having a rough morning as well. King Howard sat in his study trying his best to figure out just what he was going to do about his son. Prince Anthony was still relatively young but he was the heir to the thrown. There were certain duties that came along with that position that Tony was avoiding under the argument that he wasn’t king yet.

King Howard and Queen Maria wanted their son to have a chance to enjoy being young but he was also their only child and heir. He needed to be ready to ascend to the thrown when the time came. The longer they put off bringing him to task about spending more of his days tinkering with the royal smithies than with the council learning to manage the laws of the land the harder things would be in the long run.

“Our son has been avoiding his responsibilities long enough,” Howard growled, tossing his crown onto the desk in frustration. “It’s high time he settled down, got married, take his place and the responsibilities of the Crown Prince seriously.”

“Of course dear,” Maria said soothingly. She knew for all his good intentions, Howard’s overbearing nature could tend to rub their son the wrong way creating additional roadblocks to solving their problems. “We must be patient though.”

Howard’s face took on a red tinge as he shouted, “I am patient.”

For a moment the words hung heavy in the air but as though the wind had been taken out of his sails with that released, Howard sagged back into his desk chair. “I’m not getting any younger you know. There is only so much time I have left to make sure he’s ready for the weight that this crown carries with it. I want to see him happy and settled before I go. I just, I want him to be happy.”

If anything Howard deflated even more into his chair as he looked around his study. Royal portraits adorned the walls showing the royal family throughout the years. A portrait of Howard and Maria after they had been wed. A portrait of the two of them holding baby Anthony in his swaddling clothes. Portraits of Anthony as he grew up and became the man that he was today. A man that Howard couldn’t be more proud of and yet a man that he felt he had slowly been losing more and more as the years passed by.

“You’ve always had a special bond with the boy Maria. You don’t know what it’s like to see him grow farther and farther and farther away from you,” Howard bemoaned.

Maria came around the desk and wrapped her arms around her husband’s shoulders. He and Tony were so much alike sometimes and it was difficult for her to watch them at odds with one another. She knew in her heart that her husband meant well but that didn’t always translate well into his actions. She also knew that Anthony was headstrong and once he felt that he had been slighted, he had a hard time seeing past it.

“If we just gave him some more time,” she suggested, hoping with a mother’s heart to stave off the inevitable for just a little while longer. “He may find someone when we least expect it.”

Maria understood Howard’s concerns and couldn’t say that he didn’t have extremely valid points but she wasn’t sure that she was ready to let go of her little Antonio. The little boy that would come running to her, excitement shining in his eyes when he had learned something new and wanted to share it. No matter how big he got, Anthony would always be her little boy.

“Give him more time?” Howard sputtered. “With his silly romantic ideas?”

“Yes dear. In matters of love - ” Maria began before being cut off.

“Love. Ha,” Howard said with a snort. “Just one person meeting another under the right conditions. That was all it took for us. So, we’ll arrange those conditions for Anthony.”

Maria raised an eyebrow at her husband’s oversimplification of the matter. “If Anthony were to suspect,” she said leadingly.

“Suspect. Ha! Look, he’s coming home in a week from his tour of the kingdom right?” Howard asked.

“Yes,” Maria agreed carefully, not sure where her husband was going with this.

Howard rubbed his hands together the more he thought over his spur of the moment plan. “Well what could be more natural than a ball to celebrate his return. And if every eligible noble person just happened to be there, why he’s bound to show interest in at least one of them isn’t he?”

“Perhaps,” Maria agreed, still not sure that she was on board with this plan.

“The moment he does, soft lights, romantic music, all the trimmings. It can’t possibly fail,” Howard said happily, slapping down on the desk in excitement as he stood up. “In one week there will be a ball and every eligible noble person will attend.”

With a spring in his step Howard left the room to go and find the steward to begin the preparations for the ball. Maria watched as her husband nearly skipped down the hallways, so proud of his plan to set their son up. She privately had her reservations but if it did work and found her dear Antonio love than who was she to stand in the way.


	3. Chapter 3

Prince Anthony road astride his horse Iron through the countryside of his kingdom out ahead of the royal guards with him. All but one that was. Next to him rode his most trusted guard and best friend Sir Rhodes. They had been dispatched this past month to survey the kingdom Anthony would one day rule and had ended up dealing with flooding along their eastern border. The rains had been heavy this past year and multiple rivers had overflown their banks threatening the crops that grew in that region. While the kingdom wouldn’t have been in a famine if the crops were lost it would have been a lean year.

Prince Anthony had been sent to attend to it both to show that the Crown cared about the well being of its people and to give Anthony a taste of the responsibilities that he would be taking over once he was the King. Luckily all the time that he had spent with the royal smithies had come in handy and Tony had been able to be more than just a figurehead overseeing the work. He had been able to actually make and implement plans that had saved the crops. The kingdom wouldn’t go hungry that year in small part to him and Tony was very proud of that fact. The last thing he wanted to be was a useless royal that couldn’t help his people.

The good mood that Tony had been in since helping to tide the rivers back and distribute the water into smaller tributaries had lasted him through most of the ride home. That mood had greatly diminished when one of Howard’s elite messengers had found him and delivered a sealed letter to him.

Rhodey had been beside Tony when the Prince had opened the letter and had heard the colorful curses that his friend let out when he read the contents. Doing his best to keep his face straight and not let onto his amusement Rhodey continued riding forward knowing that it was just a matter of waiting out his friend and Tony would tell him everything. Rhodey didn’t have long to wait.

“My father is a shameless meddler,” Tony growled, crumpling the paper and stuffing it into one of his saddlebags. “He had ordered us straight home so we won’t get the chance to stop by and visit Lord and Lady Jarvis as I had wanted to.”

“Oh?” Rhodey asked curiously. That was a bit odd for the King. So long as Tony did as he had been commanded, King Howard typically allowed the Prince to do as he pleased. Tony had a special place in his heart for the nobles that had been as close as family to the Prince when he had been growing up. Even after they had retired from court life back to their lands Tony still enjoyed visiting them when he could. The fact that the King was ordering them straight back even after having completed their mission without giving them leave to visit Tony’s friends was very unusual.

“Yes. Apparently he’s decided to hold a ball in my honor once we return,” Tony snapped as though he were being ordered to hanging instead of a celebration.

“That doesn’t sound too horrible,” Rhodey hedged trying to see what had his friend all in a tither.

Tony snorted. “He’s been all over me lately to settle down, be more serious, look after my responsibilities more. As though I don’t take care of them already,” groused Tony. “He’s been hinting that he thinks that the best way for me to do that is to get married. He thinks he’s been so subtle about it but he really hasn’t.”

That had Rhodey laughing as they continued riding. “And I take it you don’t want to get married?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to get married,” Tony tried to explain. “I know my dad and I don’t get along with him the best but I see him and mom together and I want something like that. The problem is that there’s no one interesting around. Either they’re all after me for my title or they’re like you.”

That got Rhodey pulling his horse up abruptly catching Tony’s attention.

Realizing what he just said Tony hurried to fix it. “Not like that. You’re amazing Rhodey. You’re also my best friend though. It would just be weird if we married or I married someone like you.”

The panic stricken look on Tony’s face had Rhodey relaxing and shaking his head at his friend and Prince’s ability to stick his foot in his mouth on a regular basis.

“No I get it,” Rhodey said as he urged his horse back into motion. “I wouldn’t want to marry your pompous ass either.”

Tony scrunched his nose and stuck out his tongue at his friend. That had known each other since they had been in diapers and Rhodey was one of the few that could speak to him that way without fear of angering the Prince with his careless speech.

“This ball is going to be so horribly boring,” complained Tony getting back to the matter at hand. “It’s just going to be a lot of nobles that dad has invited throwing themselves at me trying to land themselves a royal husband.”

Rhodey just shrugged in sympathy. “It sucks your highness but it’s part of the job. Just like saving the farmland and those crops is part of your job, so is finding someone to marry. Doesn’t mean you have to pick someone at this ball though.”

Tony sighed as they continued drudging along. “I know. I just want to find someone interesting. Someone that is interested in me and not my title.”

~

Up in the study of of the Pierce mansion, Brock and Jack were in the middle of their weekly dancing lesson. Lord Pierce was insistent that his sons would know the proper decorum that would allow them to rise through the ranks of the nobility through an advantageous marriage. The only problem was that the boys that could hunt with the best of them had two left feet when it came to dancing.

Time and again Bucky had watched the dancing partners that Lord Pierce brought in for his sons to practice with leave the mansion, stumbling over bruised toes from being stepped on. Secretly Bucky couldn’t help but thinking that Lord Pierce was wasting his time. If Brock and Jack hadn’t been able to figure out how to dance by now Bucky was pretty sure they never would.

Picking up the mop from the bucket, Bucky proceeded to begin washing the entrance hall floor that he had just finished sweeping. Though the music was faint due to the distance, Bucky could still hear the sound being played for the dance lesson. Handling the mop as though it were a partner, Bucky swirled himself around the hall gracefully. He might have only one arm but his feet worked just fine keeping him in time with the music while getting the mopping done at the same time.

Bucky was so lost in the fantasy of dancing with a partner that was interested in him and being somewhere other than the miserable house that he lived in that he never noticed Lucifer stalking into the hall. By the time he did it was too late. The cat had already gotten into the bin of dust and dirt that was waiting to be tossed out and spread it out all over the floor again.

Growling under his breath Bucky took a firmer hold of the mop and stomped towards the cat more than ready to give it a piece of him mind, consequences of hurting the cat be damned. If Lord Pierce saw the floor still dirty when the dance lesson was finished Bucky was sure to be punished even worse than after the breakfast debacle. Before Bucky had the chance to go more than a few steps after the cat he was stopped by the sound of loud pounding on the front door.

“Open in the name of the king!” came a shout from the other side.

Bucky froze in place for a moment trying to understand the sudden announcement. It was highly irregular for the palace to a dispatch to individual residences. There was only one way to find out what it was all about though. Bucky opened the front door, mop still in hand, to find one of the royal messengers standing there. He was dressed in the colors of the kingdom, sharp red and bright gold. Across his chest he carried a satchel nearly overflowing with envelopes. The messenger plucked out a single envelope and held it out towards Bucky.

“An urgent message from his imperial majesty,” the messenger informed.

Bucky quickly leaned the mop against the inside of the door and took the envelope from the messenger.

“Thank you,” he offered with a nod before watching the messenger turn and walk back to the waiting carriage.

Bucky closed the door and looked down at the envelope in his hand. He knew that his orders were normally never to disturb the family while they were in the middle of their lessons but the messenger had said that it was urgent. Bucky decided in the end that he would prefer being chastised from interrupting than for being tardy delivering such urgent news. Making his way up to the study Bucky knocked on the door and heard the music inside come to a screeching halt.

“Yes,” Lord Pierce growled from inside which Bucky took as his cue to open the door and enter.

“James Barnes I’ve warned you to never - ” Lord Pierce began his rant but for the first time Bucky butted in part way through. He felt safe that the Lord couldn’t do anything to him in front of the witnesses that were there to help Brock and Jack dance.

“But this just arrived from the palace,” Bucky insisted holding out the envelope with the royal seal up so that the others could see.

“From the palace,” Brock and Jack both shouted, rushing over and grabbing the envelope from Bucky and fighting over it between the two of them.

“Give it here,” Brock urged pulling it closer to him.

Jack immediately yanked back. “Let me have it.”

Brock kept his hold, pulling again. “Give that back.”

Before the paper could be torn, Lord Pierce reached between his sons and deftly pulled the envelope from the two of them. “I’ll read it,” he said decisively.

Lord Pierce waved his hand at the two women that had been acting at practice dance partners for Brock and Jack, dismissing them without words. Once they were gone he sliced open the envelope and pulled out the heavy parchment inside, scanning over it rapidly. “Well, there’s to be a ball in one week’s time.”

“A ball,” Brock and Jack echoed.

“In honor of his highness, Prince Anthony,” Lord Pierce continued to read.

Brock and Jack both got calculating looks in their eyes. “The Prince,” they said excitedly.

“And by royal command, every eligible noble person is to attend,” Lord Pierce finished.

Brock’s eyes widened at the news. “That includes us,” he said. His mind was already spinning at the possibilities that could be opened for them.

“And I’m so eligible,” Jack said, hand on his chest at the thought, drawing a disgusted look from Brock.

Over by the door Bucky had been completely forgotten. He may not be treated like it in Lord Pierce’s house but Bucky was still a nobleman and this could be his first chance since falling under Lord Pierce’s care that he might have a chance to leave.

At the exciting thought he couldn’t keep himself from blurting out excitedly, “Why that means I can go too.”

That caught the attention of the other two young men who turned to stare at him as though Bucky had suddenly grown a second head. After a moment’s pause they both started laughing at Bucky’s idea.

“Ha, him, dancing with the Prince,” Jack laughed at the absurdity of the thought.

“I’d be honored Your Highness,” Brock said, purposefully pitching his voice to sound more nasally. “Would you mind holding my broom?”

Jack and Brock continued laughing so hard they couldn’t stand up straight. The two of them fell towards each other in a mockery of the dance that they were supposed to have been learning.

Bucky scowled and squared his shoulder up, standing at his full height. It was bad enough that Lord Pierce allowed them to walk all over him under normal circumstances but this time Bucky was in the right and he wasn’t about to let it go. Not if it meant a chance at getting out of this house.

“Well, why not?” Bucky challenged. “After all, I’m still a member of the nobility. And it says, ‘by royal command, every eligible noble person is to attend’. You can’t deny a royal command like that now can you?”

Lord Pierce glanced back down at the paper in his hands. “Yes, so it does” he was forced to admit before his face took on a slimy smile. “Well I see no reason why you can’t go. _If_ you get all your work done.”

The room was so silent for a moment that a pin dropping would have sounded as loud as a gong. Brock and Jack had identical looks of horror on their faces at their father’s words. Bucky on the other had was beyond ecstatic that for the first time that he could remember he was getting a chance to escape the drudgery that his life had become ever since being taken into Lord Pierce’s care.

“I will,” Bucky said passionately. “I promise.”

“Oh and if you can find something suitable to wear,” Lord Pierce said quietly, a thin smile twisting his lips.

“I’m sure I can,” Bucky said without hesitation though he wasn’t sure how he was going to manage that just yet. He would find a way though. He wouldn’t let something as simple as clothing keep him from going to the ball. “Thank you Lord Pierce.”

Turning on his heels Bucky rushed out of the study leaving the three men standing behind him. There was work he needed to get back to if he wanted to make sure that his chores were done in time for him to figure out what he would wear to the ball. He only had a week and a lot to get done in that time.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as he’d had the confirmation from Lord Pierce that he’d be allowed to attend the ball Bucky had dove back into his cleaning with a vengeance. The entrance hall was swept and mopped again in record time. Bucky wanted to give Lord Pierce no reason to take going to the ball away as punishment for his chores not being done on time.

However, as hard as Bucky worked to stay on top of things, Brock and Jack appeared to take great pleasure in constantly adding to his work. Every day that week there were more clothes that needed to be washed and mended and new ribbons and tassels to be added to the clothes they already had in an effort to try and make themselves as eye catching towards the Prince as possible. As soon as Bucky finished everything that he was required to do, they found something else to add to his plate. From dawn to dusk Brock and Jack had him working his fingers to the bone so that they would be ready to attend the ball.

It was nonstop. He was ordered to make the fire, fix the breakfast, wash the dishes, do the mopping, and the sweeping, and the dusting. They always kept him hopping. He was going around in circles until he was very, very dizzy and yet still they hollered. Bucky was more than aware that they were keeping him busy half for the sake of keeping him busy so he’d have no time to make himself ready to go to the ball.

All together it almost worked and didn’t leave Bucky any time to prepare himself for the ball. His normal work clothes that he wore while doing the household chores wouldn’t be near grand enough to wear to the palace. If he tried wearing those he knew he would be mistaken for one of the palace servants and not the member of the nobility that he truly was. In order to find the time to work on his own clothes Bucky worked late into the night in his small room by the light of a candle.

Since none of his own clothes would be suitable to the occasion Bucky had dug into a trunk of his parents’ belongings that he had managed to keep through the years. His father’s court suit was just Bucky’s size which was Bucky’s saving grace. The only downside was that based on everything Bucky had seen of Lord Pierce’s court clothing, his father’s suit was terribly old fashioned and Bucky knew he’d stand out like a sore thumb if he wore it as it currently was.

While old fashioned would be better than nothing, Bucky was determined to make the most of what could possibly be his one and only chance to step out of the life that he had been living for the past ten years. Having no materials of his own to work with in order to improve the suit Bucky resorted to scrounging through the scraps that Brock and Jack had cast off of their own suits and ordered him to throw away. Since they clearly didn’t want the pieces anymore and would have just ended up in the garbage Bucky figured that they were fair game to work with himself and used them to the best of his abilities.

By the time Bucky had managed to finish not only all of the chores that he had been given but his own suit as well, it was the night of the ball. He had just barely made it under the wire but he had managed it nonetheless. His hand shook in excitement as he carefully pulled on the suit, brushing away imagined wrinkles and making sure each button shown brightly. He’d had to make some alterations to accommodate the lack of his left arm so that the sleeve wouldn’t just hang there empty and unsightly but the end effect wasn’t too bad if Bucky had to give his own opinion.

In the end he didn’t much care if he wasn’t the most handsome man at the ball. It wasn’t like he was trying to catch the eye of the Prince. He just wanted the chance, for at least one night, to go out and experience the world like everyone else got to. Maybe then it would make the rest of his life in the drudgery under Lord Pierce’s thumb a bit more bearable. Having the happy memory of this night to sustain him would help to get him through all the other unpleasant nights of his life to come.

With one last look at himself in the mirror to make sure that he hadn’t missed anything Bucky left his little room and hurried down the steps to the entrance hall. He had heard the carriage approaching through his window and knew that it was time to leave. He also knew that if he wasn’t there right when the others were ready that they would leave without him without a second thought. Hurrying down the steps Bucky could hear Lord Pierce giving last minute instructions to his sons decked out in their finest as they headed towards the door.

“Wait. Please wait for me,” Bucky called out as he came into view. The three of them turned to look at him, shocked expressions miring all of their faces making Bucky feel slightly uncomfortable, that his suit might not be good enough. Lord Pierce had made it clear that the condition of him being allowed to go was not only getting his chores completed but that he find something suitable to wear as well. Bucky had worked so hard on the suit that it just had to be good enough.

“Do you like it?” he asked, spinning in a small circle so they could see everything. “Do you think it will do?”

Silence stretched for a beat before Brock and Jack turned to their father as both began protesting Bucky’s inclusion to the ball. The sound of their yelling filled the room and twisted Bucky’s stomach in nerves that their father would give in to their pleading. Lord Pierce allowed their protests for a moment before holding up a hand and silencing them both.

“Enough,” he snapped at his sons before turning his attention unflinchingly on Bucky. “We did make a bargain after all, didn’t we James? And I never go back on my word.”

As he spoke Lord Pierce walked over to where Bucky was standing in slow, measured steps. The closer he got the more Bucky’s stomach turned in knots. While Lord Pierce’s words appeared to be in his favor, there was something about his tone that caused a shiver of fear to go down Bucky’s spine.

Lord Pierce’s hand came out to finger at the cravat tied around Bucky’s neck. “How very clever, to have managed such a distinctive knot with only one hand. Don’t you think so Jack?”

Jack scowled with his arms crossed across his chest. “No I don’t. I don’t think a cripple … ” Jack cut himself off, eyes going wide as he really looked at the cloth tied artfully around Bucky’s neck. “Why you little thief! That’s my cravat. Give that back.”

Rushing forward Jack grabbed at the cravat and yanked, nearly choking Bucky until the cloth came untied and was ripped from around his neck, tearing at the collar and popping the top button off of his shirt as it went.

“No!” Bucky cried out, reaching up to soothe his abused throat.

“And those are my buttons and tassels,” Brock declared, giving them the same treatment Jack had given the cravat and tore them from the front of Bucky’s dress shirt and jacket.

It was as though some kind of floodgate had been opened as both Brock and Jack attacked like wild animals. They reached and grabbed and yanked at Bucky's clothing tearing and ripping it without mercy. They shouted at him, vicious things as Bucky tried to defend himself but there was little that he could do to stop them. They outnumbered him and he was down an arm. Even if he really fought back he couldn’t risk actually injuring them or risk having the constable called on him for assault. There was nothing he could do.

Lord Pierce stood to the side calmly watching his sons attacking Bucky. A slow smirk spread across his face watching the boy be put in his place after he had dared to try and take control over himself away from the Lord. After giving it a few moments Lord Pierce spoke up.

“Boys, boys,” Lord Pierce spoke in the same deceptively calm tone though it caught his sons’ attention immediately. “That’s quite enough. Hurry along now both of you. I won’t have you upsetting yourselves.”

Brock and Jack stepped away from Bucky and straightened out their own suits before walking out the door to the carriage with a sniff. They didn’t so much as glance back at Bucky as they went. Bucky stood in the middle of the entrance hall, clothes torn and tattered, and watched in shock as he was left there without a second thought to the violence that had just been committed on him.

Lord Pierce followed his sons out of the mansion, pausing long enough to offer a sickly sweet “Good night,” before closing the door behind himself with a decisive click. They left Bucky standing there, a mess in the middle of the entrance hall all alone.

For a long moment Bucky just stood there, rooted to the spot as the full weight of what had just happened settled down on his shoulders. The promise of a chance of escape, not permanently but only for a night, had been dangled in front of his like a tease only to be ripped away at the last second in the cruelest fashion possible. It was slowly sinking in to Bucky just how powerless he truly was and just how much control of his life had been systematically stripped away from him over the past ten years. And now, knowing that the others felt no remorse at the extreme treatment and would probably do so again now that they had gotten away with it once, Bucky felt more trapped and helpless than ever before.

Unbidden a sob welled up inside Bucky’s chest and wrenched itself free. Turning on his heels Bucky sprinted through the mansion and out the back door into the gardens. Even there he didn’t stop until he had reached the back corner away from any potential prying eyes before dropping to his knees beneath a huge weeping willow.

His arm wrapped around his stomach as though he could somehow hold himself together with that single gesture. It wasn’t enough and everything that he had been put through wouldn’t stay inside anymore as the man broke down into heartbreaking sobs. Bucky’s whole frame shook as he released his pent up emotions into the uncaring night.


	5. Chapter 5

Bucky knelt on the cold, hard ground crying. Everything that he had been through the past ten years, all the abuse that he had suffered and swallowed down in the hopes of someday finding a way out only to have that dream crushed under Lord Pierce’s cruel heel, was refusing to be kept inside any longer.

“It’s just no use,” he whispered to himself. “No use at all. I can’t keep going. Not anymore. There’s nothing left to keep going with.”

Unbeknownst to Bucky, as he was pouring his heart out, behind him dust was swirling up off of the garden pathway. Slowly that dust began to spark and coalesced into a small, skinny man wearing a strange dark blue suit with a white star on his chest. For a moment he stood there watching Bucky before walking over to kneel down next to him and place a hand on his shoulder.

“Nothing?” the mysterious man asked, tipping his head down to try and catch Bucky’s eyes. “Now surely you don’t mean that.”

Bucky shook his head, so wrapped up in his grief that the appearance of a stranger hadn’t sunk in yet. He felt it was far more likely that he had just gone crazy and was hearing voices in his head then for there to be someone there trying to give him comfort. “I do mean it,” Bucky argued. “I’ve got nothing left to keep fighting with.”

“Nonsense,” the man said with soft reproach in his voice. He shifted his hand from Bucky’s shoulder to under his chin to tip his head back so their eyes could meet. “If you truly had nothing else left to fight with, I couldn’t be here and here I am.”

Bucky let out a gasp of surprise as he met the bright blue eyes of the man belonging to the voice that he had thought was just a product of his imagination. Either he was full on hallucinating or there was actually someone there with him. As much as Lord Pierce has messed with his head over the years to make Bucky dependent on him, Bucky was pretty sure that he wasn’t actually crazy so this strange man must actually be real.

“Come on now. Clean off your face,” the man ordered Bucky before standing up and brushing off his knees. “You can’t go to the ball looking a mess like that.”

“The ball? But I’m not...” Bucky repeated before trailing off, not understanding what was suddenly going on around him.

“Of course you are,” the man insisted as he rolled up his sleeves. “But we’ll have to hurry because even miracles take a little time.”

“Miracles?” Bucky questioned as he got to his own feet, the whole thing sounding unbelievable.

The man nodded, happy that Bucky was following along. Holding out one arm dramatically the man paused for a moment before looking at it quizzically. Frowning, the strange man began patting down the pockets of his suit and spinning around in a circle to look around on the ground. “Now what did I do with that magic wand?”

“Magic wand?” Bucky asked, believing more and more that he might have managed to lose his mind after all considering the night that he’d had. “What are you?”

The man turned his attention back to Bucky sharply. “I’m your fairy Godbrother. Name’s Steve,” the man said as though that should have been obvious. “Now where is that wand?”

After a bit more searching around the area while Bucky came to terms with what was happening Steve paused and stood still, rolling his eyes. “I forgot. I put it away.”

With a wave of his hand a shield appeared out of thin air and settled into place on Steve’s left arm. Bucky quirked an eyebrow up in surprise. That was not what he had been expecting to see when his fairy Godbrother had said he was looking for a wand.

“That’s a wand?”

Steve just shrugged. It wasn’t the first time he had gotten comments about his use of odd items to channel his magic with. “Maybe not technically speaking but it does the job.”

Shield in hand now, Steve eyed Bucky up and down before nodding decisively. “Now I’d say the first thing we need is a pumpkin.”

Bucky was so tempted to question why they needed a pumpkin but was getting tired of asking after each new thing that his fairy Godbrother said. Instead he watched with fascination as the skinny man reared his left arm back preparing to throw the shield.

“Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!” Steve shouted and threw the shield towards the vegetable patch with far more strength than Bucky would have thought possible.

Through the air the shield went, scooping up one of the larger pumpkins, twisting around in the air, and deposited it by the gate that led out to the front drive. The shield flew back to Steve’s arm while the pumpkin grew in size, becoming rounder and lighter in color, pulsing with magic until with a flash the pumpkin was gone and had been replaced with a beautiful gleaming carriage in its place. The whole thing shone bright white, not a speck of dust or dirt to be seen anywhere on it. The struts and wheels had swirls carved into them reminiscent of the vines that had clung to the pumpkin before its transformation.

Bucky’s mouth opened in shock, almost unable to believe his own eyes. This was beyond anything that he could have ever conceived and yet here it was, happening right in front of him. Stumbling forward, Bucky circled the carriage taking it all in. He had never seen a carriage as splendid as the one in front of him now.

“It’s beautiful,” Bucky breathed.

“Yes it is,” Steve said proudly, puffing his chest out at the good work that he had done. “Now with a carriage as elegant as this one we’ll simply need some mice.”

Throwing the shield once more, Steve sent the magical shield whirling around the garden scooping up six mice as it went. With the animals in tow the shield soared over to the carriage and tipped the mice onto the ground with a flash of light and sparks. As the shield returned once more to Steve’s arm Bucky watched as four gorgeous white horses attached to the front of the carriage along with a coachman and a footman in place where the mice had just been.

Steve smiled happily at what he had created for his charge. Turning away from the waiting carriage Steve looked at Bucky with a wide smile on his face.

“That should just about do it. There’s no need to thank me,” he said, his words speaking of humility but his tone showing how proud he was.

“I, I wasn’t,” Bucky stuttered out. “I mean I do. I do thank you.”

Bucky couldn’t stop looking over every inch of the beautiful carriage. It was absolutely magnificent; the most wonderful thing that he could remember seeing in his whole life. It made him feel insignificant in comparison. Bucky could help looking down at his ruined suit and how shabby it looked next to the beautiful carriage

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful because I truly appreciate everything that you have done for me but don’t you think my suit … ” Bucky said hesitantly, not sure how much he wanted to press his luck.

Steve gave a critical look over Bucky taking in the torn and ruined suit and shook his head at what he saw.

“No you simply can’t go in that,” Steve agreed.

He walked around Bucky in a circle, eyeing him up and down. Steve muttered to himself about sizes and colors, something about simple yet daring that Bucky wasn’t sure about. At this point though, everything that was happening had been beyond Bucky’s wildest imagining and he was going to place his faith in Steve since he hadn’t proved himself unworthy of it up to this point.

Stepping back a few paces, Steve raised his shield and threw it straight at Bucky with another call of “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo”. The shield zoomed through the air until it was spinning in midair directly above Bucky’s head showering him with a waterfall of sparks until he couldn’t see the garden or Steve past them.

All around Bucky he felt the sparks hit him and as that happened the fabric or his ruined suit began twisting and changing. The material changed from a dusty blue to a deep, rich black. Tears were sewn up, disappearing without a trace. Buttons were replaced with gleaming silver ones. A new cravat twisted its way around Bucky’s neck in an even more fancy knot than the one he had been able to do before. His hair which had been hanging down around his shoulders twisted up behind the back of his head in a sleek bun that showed off the strong features of his face.

The most incredible change however was on the left side of his body. Instead of the left sleeve being pinned up out of the way so as not to emphasize his missing arm, the sleeve was filled with a mechanical arm that attached directly to Bucky’s shoulder with a metal port that molded itself to his body and somehow soothed the aching scars that covered that shoulder. The sparks faded away as the shield returned once more to Steve leaving Bucky standing there looking down at the arm, opening and closing his fist, completely mesmerized as it moved as sleekly and easily as his flesh arm did.

Bucky took a moment to examine the new arm, twisting and turning it in various directions to feel how it moved. It felt completely natural, as though it had always been a part of him. It had been so long since Bucky had felt like his body was balanced after the loss of his limb in the accident that had also cost him his parents. Tears of joy threatened to fall from his eyes as he quickly pulled on a pair of gloves that he found in his suit pocket. It wouldn’t do to have people questioning the impossibility of a metal arm.

Bucky’s eyes were shining with barely suppressed tears when he looked up at Steve. “This is just like a dream,” Bucky whispered as though the sound of his voice would break the magic of the moment. “A wonderful dream come true.”

For the first time Steve’s face took on a slightly pained look. “Yes,” he said hesitantly. “It’s just, like all dreams Bucky, this one can’t last forever. You’ll have only until midnight. You must understand that Bucky. On the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken and everything will be as it was before.”

“I understand,” Bucky assured. “It’s all just more than I ever hoped for.”

Steve began to lean in to place a hug around Bucky’s broad shoulders before pulling back with a start, looking up at the darkened sky. “It’s getting late. Hurry up now, the ball can’t wait! Have a good time, dance, be gay. Now off you go, you’re on your way.”

As he spoke Steve ushered Bucky forward and up into the carriage. The transformed footman closed the door behind him before jumping onto the back of the carriage. With a snap of the reins the coachman sent the horses trotting forward. The gate opened itself with a burst of magic and the carriage passed right through.

Sticking his head out of the carriage Bucky looked back to wave goodbye at his fairy Godbrother that managed to come to his rescue during Bucky’s darkest hour. Steve raised one hand in a wave before disappearing in a cloud of sparks leaving nothing behind. Pulling himself back into the carriage Bucky watched out the window as they traveled away from the mansion that had been a gilded cage for him for the past ten years and through the city towards the palace. For the first time since the death of his family Bucky was getting a chance to have something good and exciting in his life and he couldn’t wait for it to begin.


	6. Chapter 6

The palace was aglow with the lights of thousands of candles. The band that had been procured for the ball was softly playing in the background adding just the right amount of ambient noise to be pleasing. The guests had arrived and all appeared to be enjoying themselves. King Howard and Queen Maria had taken their seats up on a balcony where they could oversee the entire event without taking focus away from their son. All in all, everything was going perfectly to plan and Prince Anthony was entirely bored with the whole ordeal.

As the ball was done in his honor he was stationed up on a slightly raised dais as noblemen and women were announced to him in order to meet. While others were enjoying a glass of wine or dancing elegantly to the music, Tony was stuck in place returning bows and curtsies one after another after another. This was not his idea of an enjoyable evening and Tony couldn’t stop himself from glancing up at the balcony where his parents were seated, sending a barely concealed glare at his father.

If Tony’d had his way he’d have spent the evening having a quiet dinner with his family and friends after being gone from the palace for so long. He might have found time to go down to the royal smithy to say hello to Sir Hogan and ask after the orders he had been working on when Tony had left on his journey through the kingdom.

As it was Tony had barely even had a chance to speak to Rhodey all evening long since as Prince he had duties to each of the noble guests that were attending the ball. It was incredible draining and it didn’t slip Tony’s notice that the vast majority of attendees were roughly his age and each of them were eyeing him like a piece of ripe fruit that they’d love to take a bite out of. The only way for him to escape the endless line of introductions would be to ask someone to dance but that would give an impression of far more interest than he truly had.

The way he was being watched was disconcerting to say the least and Tony could just imagine his father’s thoughts about how he wasn’t cooperating with the King’s attempts to play matchmaker. Tony brought a hand up to his mouth to try and stifle his yawn so as not to offend anyone that thought he was being a less than attentive host. How his father had thought that a ball the night he returned was a good idea Tony would never understand.

The court herald announced the next pair waiting to try their hand at ensnaring him. “Lords Brock and Jack Pierce, sons of Lord Alexander Pierce.”

The two men made their way up the dais, each with an overconfident swagger to them. Tony found it distasteful. Sure he could be overconfident at times as well but he knew how to behave when it came to meeting and making friends with dignitaries of equal or greater station to himself and what these two were showing was not it. What made it even more glaring was how the two kept their eyes locked on Tony the entire time they were bowing instead of gracefully inclining their heads as they should do when bowing to royalty.

Normally Tony didn’t mind a breach of protocol here and there; he was usually the one doing the breaking. These two however didn’t appear to be breaking protocol because it was stuffy but because they felt they were above it and entitled to meet Tony’s gaze head on.

Telling off the two ingrates was just on the tip of Tony’s tongue when his gaze happened to slip past them and across the large ballroom. Scrunching his brows Tony tried to figure out what had managed to catch his eyes when it happened again. A glint of candlelight on shining metal drew the Prince’s gaze like a moth to a flame. Suddenly finding out what managed to shine so brightly in a room full of people doing their best to stand out became the most important thing that Tony needed to do right that moment.

With long, sure steps Tony strode off the dais and between the two noblemen. The hopeful looks on their faces as he walked towards them only to be wiped away when it became clear he wasn’t stopping for them gave Tony a tiny curl of pleasure. That would show them for presuming to be entitled to his interest.

Across the room Tony walked with unerring accuracy to the man that had caught his attention. Candlelight shining off the well polished buttons had been what had first caught Tony’s eye but now the handsomeness of the man himself kept Tony’s attention.

The man was unfamiliar to Tony who thought he knew all the nobility, at least in passing. He may have found such studies with his tutors boring but he knew the importance of them. This man did not look like any portrait he had seen or nobleman that had been described through court gossip. Either he was a recluse which Tony thought would be strange for someone so young or he wasn’t a nobleman at all and had managed to sneak into the palace anyway. Just the thought of such daring intrigued the Prince. By the time Tony reached the man’s side the man in question had noticed his approach and turned to face him.

“Good evening,” Tony offered quietly, wanting to give the illusion of privacy even amongst the crowded ballroom.

Tony gave a graceful bow to the man as he had been the one to approach the stranger. Tony’s lips curled in a smile as the man gave a clumsy bow back, not nearly deep enough to address a Prince but not insulting either. Tony wasn’t too put out though. The action seemed to come from being caught off guard and not from a sense that the man felt himself above addressing the Prince properly as the two Tony had walked away from had been.

“Good evening,” the stranger replied before trailing off, seemingly not knowing where to go from there.

Tony’s smile only widened. It wasn’t often that someone he was meeting for the first time was so unguarded with themselves around him. It was a pleasant change for once and Tony wanted more of it.

“Would you care to dance?” Tony inquired, holding out his arm for the other man to take if he wished.

There was a moment of hesitancy in the other man but it was quickly smoothed away and the man looped his arm through Tony’s and allowed himself to be pulled out onto the dance floor. The band struck up a waltz at that very moment and Tony couldn’t resist sending a quick look up to the balcony. That had Howard’s timing all over it but for the first time Tony wasn’t put out by his father’s meddling.

With one hand on the man’s back and the stranger’s right hand in his left, Tony led the two of them into a graceful waltz around the room. At first the other man clung to Tony as though his life depended on it before gradually relaxing after a minute.

“You don’t dance much do you?” Tony inquired teasingly before changing track. “I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting before. What’s your name?”

~

Bucky’s mind froze for a moment over the question of his identity. It was something that he had been thinking over intently on the carriage ride to the palace. After what Lord Pierce and his sons had done to him that evening to prevent him from going to the ball, Bucky knew for certain that he didn’t want them to find out that he had managed it anyway.

To that effect he didn’t want to give out his full name. Anyone from the nobility had the resources to be able to connect him to Lord Pierce if they really looked into it and that could lead to Lord Pierce finding out that he had disobeyed and come to the ball. As much enjoyment as Bucky was getting out of this night and as much as the memory of this ball would sustain him through the difficult years to come, the fear of Lord Pierce finding out and punishing him was all too real.

When he had still been a child Bucky had thought that Lord Pierce would merely care for him until he was an adult and able to legally claim his father’s title and take his place among the nobility. As he had grown though, Bucky had come to understand that Lord Pierce would never allow such a thing to happen. If Bucky claimed his rightful title and his family’s lands than Lord Pierce would no longer have control over them and that was something the older noble never intended to allow to happen.

True Bucky could attempt to fight it in the courts but while that was happening he wouldn’t have access to his family’s money in order to live on outside of the Pierce’s control, let alone pay a lawyer. That was also assuming that Lord Pierce didn’t find out about the plan and do something drastic to Bucky to prevent him from leaving. He was already down one arm. Bucky’s didn’t want to know what Lord Pierce might do to him to keep control over his fortune. Bucky was well and truly stuck in his position and as much this night was a balm on his soul, Bucky just couldn’t risk it coming back to bite him in the ass later.

“My friends call me Bucky,” Bucky said, using the nickname his father had called him while he was still alive instead of his given name as Lord Pierce referred to him. Hopefully that wouldn’t be enough to trace him back to Lord Pierce. “I haven’t had many dance lessons though. Sorry if I step on your toes.”

The handsome man that had brought him out on the dance floor threw his head back and laughed. “I’m not worried about my toes. You just felt a bit tense. I didn’t want to think that you were nervous dancing with me,” the other man said with a wink. “Though if you’re giving me the privilege of such an informal name it is only fair that I do the same. Call me Tony.”

Bucky smiled easily at Tony’s easy acceptance of his answers. “Tony then. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance Tony.”

From there Tony spun them around and around the dance floor. One song bled into another and then into another. Neither man made any indication that they wished for a different partner. The longer they danced the more comfortable Bucky became. Dancing with a mop was incredibly different from dancing with another person but Tony made it so easy that for Bucky it felt like he was floating more than dancing. It also helped that he had two arms to hold on with.

Bucky was so caught up in the moment that he didn’t notice right away when Tony began to guide them off the dance floor and towards the outside balcony doors. It was only when Tony looked over his shoulder and gave a nod towards one of the guards that Bucky realized that something was up. The guard proceeded to pull a curtain closed behind the pair giving them privacy out on the balcony and Bucky’s stomach flipped with anticipation. This was not how he had expected this night to go but he was very excited to see how it continued to play out.


	7. Chapter 7

With the curtain cutting them off from the rest of the guests Tony slowly brought the two of them to a stop from their dance and offered his arm to Bucky. Bucky eagerly took the offered arm and allowed himself to be pulled further out of sight from those that might try and sneak a peek past the curtain. Being alone with a man that he had just met sent a thrill through Bucky at the brazenness of the situation. Considering the impropriety, Bucky was surprised that one of the guards had been so willing to assist them but he wasn’t about to turn up his nose at the surprise turn of events. Instead he was going to enjoy this moment to the fullest.

“This is beautiful out here,” Bucky said softly as he looked out over the gardens bathed in moonlight that the balcony hovered over. “The King must love spending time out here to have everything given such care.”

Tony smiled and gestured at a set of stairs that would take them down into the gardens. It would also take them further away from any prying eyes and while good etiquette might dictate that they remained chaperoned, neither man seemed keen on following such practices. Bucky took the offered arm again and followed next to Tony as he led them through the immaculately kept garden.

“It’s actually the Queen that insists that the gardens be maintained at such high quality,” Tony explained as they traveled down one path only to turn onto another. It wasn’t often that someone new that he met was impressed by so little and Tony was soaking in the change. He also didn’t know how long Rhodey would be able to maintain their privacy and he wasn’t about to waste a single moment.

“She enjoys having garden parties with her ladies and believes that nature is good for the soul,” Tony continued on. “While there are many gardeners that take care of the whole palace grounds, the Queen also cares for some of the more private gardens personally when she has the time between her royal duties.”

“You seem to know a lot about the royal family,” Bucky said, impressed with his companion’s knowledge.

Tony chuckled at the comment. It was nice not being treated like the Prince and Bucky seemed like he was going out of his way to make Tony feel like just another person. If it wouldn’t be complete inappropriate given the extremely short amount of time that they had known one another and if it wouldn’t be doing exactly what Howard wanted of him, Tony would propose marriage right that very moment. In the end, Tony thought it best to get to know his companion a little better. There was definitely something there and he wanted to pursue more of it.

“I would like to think that I know a thing or two about the royal family,” Tony said, playing along with the joke. “It wouldn’t do for me to be completely ignorant about them.”

Bucky laughed and drew them to a stop in front of a large fountain. The way the water reflected in the moonlight was captivating. With an impulsive laugh, Bucky splashed a hand through the water, uncaring of how his glove got wet, as he sent sparkling ripples through the water of the fountain. A few droplets ended up hitting Tony with how hard Bucky had splashed the water in his excitement. Not able to let such a thing go unanswered, Tony reached out and sent his own wave in Bucky’s direction.

Together the two of them laughed and flicked little droplets of water in each other’s direction. The fun only came to a stop when the risk of soaking their suits became too great to overlook in their enthusiasm and neither of them wanted to have to explain why they were all wet. Once a truce was called the two of them took a seat on the lip of the fountain for a minute as they each caught their breath from laughing.

Once they had both collected themselves once more Tony drew Bucky away from the fountain to continue their exploration of the palace grounds. The two of them walked together for hours talking and laughing and generally enjoying one another’s company and having a better time than either had, had in a long time. Bucky was careful not to give away any information that was too personal but he was still able to contribute to their discussions of their likes and dislikes, pet peeves and hopes for the future.

Bucky managed to make Tony laugh with a tale about his never ending struggle against Lucifer’s capricious nature and the mischief that he was forever getting into just to spite the man. Tony in turn told Bucky about raising Iron from a young foal into the beloved stallion that he was today. The pride in his steed was more than evident in his voice.

Eventually they ended up back on the balcony outside the ballroom, the curtain still closed to prevent anyone else from coming outside. Neither was ready to head back inside and to be surrounded by other people. Instead they took a seat on one of the benches, close enough to one another that their knees were brushing together.

“This has been one of the best nights of my life,” Bucky said, a bit of wistfulness in his voice.

“I feel the same way,” agreed Tony. He reached out and took Bucky’s right hand gently between his own. “You are the most genuine person that I have met in a long time and I can’t begin to tell you just how much that has meant to me.

Bucky had to swallow hard to try and dislodge the lump that had formed in his throat. “And you are the kindest person I have ever gotten the chance to know,” Bucky said with equal feeling to Tony’s own words. “I will treasure this night for the rest of my life.”

Unable to hold himself back after such a declaration Tony let go with one hand and used it to cup Bucky’s cheek, drawing the other man closer to him. So caught up in the moment Bucky leaned in without thought, his eyes beginning to flutter closed in anticipation of his first kiss.

Before their lips had a chance to meet, Bucky’s noticed a glint out of the corner of his eyes. It only took a moment for his brain to catch up as to what it was. When that happened Bucky frozen in place for a moment that felt like an eternity, no longer allowing himself to be pulled into a kiss, before pulling back sharply.

“Oh no,” Bucky breathed, staring directly at the clock tower that was showing one minute to midnight.

“What’s the matter?” Tony asked, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

“It’s midnight,” Bucky said, pulling away from Tony completely and standing up from the bench.

Tony was quick to follow, trying to understand what the significance of midnight was. It was still early as far as royal balls were concerned. “Yes it is. Why does that - ”

“Goodbye,” Bucky interrupted, turning on his heel to rush towards the exit.

“No wait,” Tony pleaded, reaching out and grabbing hold of Bucky’s hand to stop him from leaving. “You can’t go now.”

Bucky shook his head in denial. “I must. Please I must.”

“But why?” Tony asked, needing to know what had gone wrong to so drastically halt the magical evening that they had been sharing.

Bucky wracked his mind quickly trying to find some excuse that would be more believable than the magical spell that had let him get to the ball would wear off at midnight. “Well I, I,” Bucky stuttered before landing on the perfect excuse. “The Prince. I haven’t met the Prince and the ball is in his honor so I really must pay my respects.”

Tony’s hold on Bucky’s hand loosened in shock. “The Prince?” he asked, unbelieving of what he was hearing. “But didn’t you know?”

Before Tony could say anything else the clock tower rang out with the first strike of midnight. Fear of being discovered sent a jolt of adrenaline through Bucky and he jerked his hand out of Tony’s hold.

“Goodbye,” Bucky shouted as he turned on his heels and started running for all that he was worth.

“No wait!” Tony shouted as he took chase. “Come back! Please come back. How will I ever find you again? Please wait.”

Bucky couldn’t wait though. The night talking with Tony had been amazing but the man would never want him if he knew that Bucky was little better than a scullery maid despite his noble birth. With each boom of the clock Bucky could feel his time coming to an end and he quickened his pace. Every boom of the clock began unraveling the spell.

Around the edge of the ballroom and back through the main hall Bucky ran with all the speed that he had. He could hear Tony still following after him but Bucky was faster. Hurrying down the front steps of the palace Bucky felt the metal arm lose feeling and disconnect from the shoulder port. The arm fell to the steps with a loud clang. Instinctively Bucky turned back to pick it up, his empty left sleeve flapping in the night, only to see Tony reaching the top of the steps. Another clang of the clock told Bucky there wasn’t time and he changed his mind, heading back down the steps to the waiting carriage were the transformed footman was wildly gesturing for him to get inside so they could drive off.

Bucky was barely back inside the carriage, Tony still yelling for him to please wait, when the door was snapped shut and the coachman urged the horses forward at a breakneck speed. Through the palace gate the horses pulled the carriage, the clock counting down the few final seconds as Bucky’s heart beat wildly in his chest. He had to get far enough away or risk being caught, which was something he would never be able to live down.

The carriage had barely left the edge of the palace grounds and back into the surrounding city when the clock rang out the last and final stroke of midnight. In that instant the carriage shuddered around Bucky, the walls closing in around him, until the world was filled with sparks and Bucky tumbled down to the cold cobblestone ground.

The carriage was a pumpkin once more, smashed now from how hard it hit the ground on transformation. The horses, coachman, and footman were back to being mice and had scurried off with their old shapes returned to them. Bucky’s hair hung down around his shoulders and his suit was nothing more than the tatters that Brock and Jack had left it as earlier that same evening.

Despair at the return of everything to how it was before wanted to well up inside of Bucky but the man forced the negative emotions away. He had lost track of the time but it was just because the whole night had been so wonderful. Tony had been so wonderful. The Prince himself couldn’t possibly have been better.

Standing up so that he could start walking back to the Pierce mansion Bucky considered for a moment not going back. It would be so easy. Lord Pierce had no legal recourse to keep him under his control now that Bucky was an adult. The only problem was that Bucky had nowhere else to go and no other way to support himself. Escape would only ever be a passing fantasy.

As he walked Bucky was grateful for the fact that his shoes hadn’t been ruined by Brock or Jack earlier. It would be far more difficult walking back to the mansion barefoot. It was annoying enough to do with his empty left sleeve flapping in the slight breeze. With a sigh Bucky reached up with his right hand to tie the sleeve in a knot until he got home and could pin it back. As soon as his fingers brushed against his shoulder Bucky came to a stop with a start.

Pulling open his shirt in the middle of the street without care to the indecency of the action, Bucky looked down at his shoulder. Instead of the mess of scars that his shoulder had been for the past ten years, there remained the metal port that Steve had gifted him to make the arm work. Running his fingers over the metal Bucky couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. Even without the arm, the port still managed to soothe the ache from the scars providing a relief that Bucky couldn’t describe.

Tipping his head back to stare up into the night sky Bucky whispered to the fairy Godbrother that had given him the chance to have this amazing night. “Thank you. Thank you so much. For everything.”


	8. Chapter 8

Ever since Bucky had run off into the night Tony had been in a foul mood. He had picked up the metal arm off of the palace steps, amazed at the artificial limb. He’d danced with Bucky all night and had no idea about it. After setting aside the arm in a safe place, Tony had ordered his horse saddled and ridden out after the man that had so captured his attention. No matter where he rode though, Tony could find no trace of a carriage riding at high speed out of the palace grounds. It was as though Bucky had vanished into thin air.

Tony had returned after the ball had finished and the guests had all returned to their homes. Rhodey had been waiting for him and had kept Tony from taking his frustrations of a fruitless search out on the nearest bottle of alcohol.

“I tried to stop him but he vanished into thin air. All I could find was this metal arm,” Tony said as he paced back and forth across his private chambers.

“Metal arm?” Rhodey asked.

Tony gestured towards his writing desk where he had placed the arm once he had returned from his futile search. Rhodey went over to the desk to take a closer look. It was so unexpected and incredible. He had seen former soldiers with missing limbs ever since he had been knighted and become the Captain of the Palace Guard. Of the ones that had replaced their missing limbs, they had done so with wood, some with more complexity than others. None had a limb made out of metal. Since Tony had seen it falling out of Bucky’s sleeve it was clear that it could have only come from one man.

“Do you know anything else about him? Maybe a name?” questioned Rhodey.

“A bit,” Tony said. “We talked for hours but I’m not sure how much will help me find him. Hating the family cat named Lucifer isn’t much to go on. I don’t even know his family name and he called himself Bucky which I’m sure is a nickname so that won’t be too much help. How am I supposed to find him with that?”

Tony was nearly growling in frustration. His fists were clenched at his sides. Rhodey raised a single eyebrow at Tony’s clear passion. While Tony did tend to throw himself wholeheartedly into anything that grabbed him, it wasn’t usually a person that did it.

“You seem very taken with this man without knowing him for very long,” Rhodey pointed out.

Tony gave a carefree shrug, not ashamed of his quick attraction.

“I can’t say that I love him yet,” Tony admitted. “It’s still a bit too early for that but there was definitely something there. I swear I won’t rest until I find him again. If he really wants nothing to do with me than I’ll respect that but that’s not the feeling I got at the ball. If nothing else I should return his arm to him.”

Rhodey turned the arm over in his hands as he thought about the unexpected turn of events. He couldn’t remember a time when he had seen Tony so worked up about someone that he had just met. Yes Tony could be impulsive sometimes but not about the things that really mattered. If this man had the chance of making his best friend happy then Rhodey was determined to do everything in his power to give them the chance to make that happen.

“Well it’s not going to be easy but you’ve got my support,” Rhodey promised. “We’ll send out proclamations to the cities and towns that the guests from the ball came from. That should help get the word out that you are looking for him. Once people know they might be able to point us in the right direction.”

Tony launched himself across the room and pulled Rhodey into a giant bear hug. The depth of the friendship that they shared was never in doubt but it was always a nice reminder that no matter what, Tony would always have Rhodey in his corner.

“It shouldn’t be too hard to find him if you really think about it,” Tony said, trying to think positively. “How many noblemen are missing their left arm? It’s not like we’re trying to find one person out of thousands that fits a particular shoe or something.”

Rhodey shook his head at the absurd things that Tony came up with. “No. That would just be ridiculous and a nightmare waiting to happen.”

~

Back at the Pierce mansion Bucky was working to get breakfast ready. Lord Pierce had gotten up early that morning to conduct business in town. It gave Bucky a little bit of leeway in terms of getting everything ready but he knew he only had until Lord Pierce returned home to finish.

As he set out everything on the tray Bucky let his mind wander over what he could be doing right now if he hadn’t left the ball in time. If Tony had seen him as he was and cared for him anyway. How might Bucky’s life be different if he was no longer under Lord Pierce’s thumb.

Bucky was pulled out of those daydreams when he heard his name being shouted from the main entrance hall. Setting everything down Bucky hurried out just as he heard Lord Pierce calling him by his full name “James Buchanan Barnes”. If that wasn’t a sign of trouble to come Bucky didn’t know what was.

“Yes,” Bucky said as he pushed open the door and stepped into the entrance hall. “Here I am.”

“My sons, where are they,” Lord Pierce demanded quickly, his mind clearly on some urgent matter.

Bucky frowned in confusion as the answer to him was obvious given the time of day. Neither of them ever got up a minute before they absolutely had to. “I think they’re still in bed.”

Lord Pierce growled under his breath looking between Bucky and up the stairs before back down at Bucky.

“Well don’t just stand there. Bring up the breakfast trays at once and hurry,” ordered Lord Pierce before he turned and hurried his way up the stairs to the second floor.

Bucky went back into the kitchen and gathered up the breakfast tray. Carefully balancing it in his hand he made his way up the stairs and glanced down the hallway looking for where to go from there. The door to Brock’s room was open and he could hear voices from inside and figured that was as good a place as any to start with. As he approached the room he could hear Lord Pierce talking inside.

“The one who lost his arm at the ball last night. They say he’s halfway in love with him.”

“The Captain of the Guard?” Jack asked.

Lord Pierce growled at his son’s foolishness. “No no no. The Prince.”

Bucky’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t heard the full conversation but he had heard enough. The Prince was looking for someone that had lost an arm at the ball last night because he was halfway in love with them. Unless there was some strange coincidence Bucky was the only person that could possibly be. That means that the sweet Tony that he had danced and talked with all night was really the Prince. That means that Tony was halfway in love with him. Bucky could barely believe what he was hearing.

“The Prince,” Bucky whispered.

His hand trembled as the realization washed over him, sending the tray crashing down to the floor, breaking the plates, and drawing the attention of the three other occupants of the room.

“You clumsy little fool,” Lord Pierce hissed. “Clean that up at once then help my sons dress.”

Bucky knelt on the floor and slowly started picking up broken pieces of china and setting them on the tray to be thrown away.

“What for?” Brock yawned.

Jack nodded and pulled the blankets of the bed up to his chin. “If he’s in love with that boy, why should we even bother?”

Lord Pierce growled in barely suppressed rage. His desire to raise himself and his sons in royal standing coming through more than he had ever let it before. Stalking over to the bed he yanked the blankets off of his sons.

“Now you two listen to me. There is still a chance one of you can get him. No one, not even the Prince knows who that boy is. The metal arm he lost is their only clue. The Guard and the Prince are going around to compare it to every nobleman in the kingdom. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that once he finds that boy he will offer his hand in marriage and make that boy his husband.”

“Marriage,” Bucky breathed in shock. He slowly raised himself to his feet. It had been one thing to wish to escape from Lord Pierce’s clutches but something else to imagine himself married to a Prince. Such a thing had never occurred to him in even his wildest dreams but he supposed if that Prince was Tony than such a thing wouldn’t be too frightening.

In the room Brock and Jack were hurrying around screeching about clothes and being ready as they shoved article of clothing after article of clothing onto the tray of broken plates and cups that Bucky was holding. So caught up in his own head that he wasn’t even listening to what they were ordering about this time. It wasn’t until they were both shoving themselves in his face that he paid them any attention.

“What’s the matter with him?” Jack demanded.

“Wake up stupid,” Brock sneered in Bucky’s face. “We’ve got to get dressed.”

That made its way through to Bucky. “Dressed. Yes, we must get dressed. It wouldn’t do to have the Prince seeing me like this,” Bucky said quietly as though in a daze. He passed the tray into Brock’s hands who was so surprised that he took it on instinct. Bucky turned and walked out of the room without a backwards glance. He was going to be free and nothing any of the Pierces could say mattered anymore.

There was a certain sway to his steps as he walked down the hall towards the stairs that would take him to his tiny bedroom. It felt as though he were dancing in Tony’s arms once again with just the thought of being away from this miserable house and back with the man that had so captivated him the night before. Bucky wasn’t even paying the slightest bit of attention to what the men he had just left behind were doing. As far as Bucky was concerned they no longer mattered. They wouldn’t be holding him captive to their whims any longer once the Prince arrived.

Bucky had just taken off his shirt in his bedroom to exchange it for one that was cleaner, taking the time to try and smooth out any wrinkles. Yes the Prince might be willing to take him as he was but that was no reason not to put his best foot forward. He might not have his fairy Godbrother here to magic him up a new set of clothing but that didn’t mean that Bucky wouldn’t try his best on his own.

Just as Bucky was satisfied with how he looked he caught movement going on behind him in his mirror. Spinning around, Bucky was just in time to see Lord Pierce sharply pull his bedroom door closed. Eyes widening in fear, Bucky threw himself at the door, yanking at the handle. The door was locked and didn’t budge an inch.

“Oh no. No please. Oh you can’t. You just can’t,” Bucky called hopelessly through the closed door. “Let me out! You must let me out. You can’t keep me in here!” 

It was useless. Lord Pierce didn’t come back and the door stayed locked. Bucky sank down to his knees, tears gathering in his eyes.

“Oh please,” he whispered. “Oh please, please.”

He had almost been free. It was almost enough. His dreams slowly crumbled as the tears fell from his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

The sound of horses prancing down the long driveway and the wheels of a carriage made its way through Bucky’s despair. Wiping the tears from his face, Bucky rose from his place kneeling by the door giving useless tugs and made his way over to the window. Bucky leaned out over the sill to see who had arrived.

The carriage was beautiful in its distinctive bright red with gold accents. Even without the crest on the side of the carriage door the royal coach was unmistakable. Bucky felt his heart catch in his chest as he watched the handsome Captain of the Guard jump down from the carriage followed right behind by the even more handsome Prince. It was Tony. The man Bucky had danced the night away with and was already halfway in love with himself.

The sight of Tony there on his doorstep renewed Bucky’s hope and he left the window to return to the door. Ten years of working for Lord Pierce, doing all the manual labor around the house with only one arm held given Bucky more strength than the average nobleman. Yes the door to his room might be locked but it was old and Bucky was determined not to let that stop him.

Squaring up his shoulders, Bucky took a few steps back before rushing forward and slamming his right shoulder into the door. A painful ache traveled through Bucky’s shoulder and remaining arm but he was undeterred. Backing up again Bucky rammed himself into the door a second and then third time.

By the third time Bucky could feel the door shudder beneath him. It wasn’t about to fall open just yet but Bucky wasn’t about to give up his last chance to have a life away from this nightmare. If it took every ounce of strength he had left he was going to break down this door and go and find his prince.

~

Down at the front door Tony watched as Rhodey gave a sharp rap to draw the attention of the household. They had been searching since dawn and Tony hadn’t been able to sleep the previous night with how anxious he was to get searching. This on top of just coming back from riding across the kingdom right before the ball was beginning to catch up with Tony. He was tired and longed to rest but he refused to do so until he had found Bucky again. Tony knew he wasn’t imagining the connection the two of them had formed during the ball and he wanted more than anything to see where that could take him.

When the door opened Tony’s eyes snapped up to see the older man standing in the doorway. There was no doubt that he was dressed impeccably for his station but Tony didn’t miss the way the man’s eyes gleamed as he took in his guests. This wasn’t the first time Tony had seen that kind of look and he hated it as much now as he always had. As much as being looked at as nothing more than his crown made Tony want to turn on his heels and leave, the chance that this might be the break in his search kept him planted in place.

“Welcome Your Highness. I am Lord Pierce,” the man said with a deep bow. “You honor our humble home.”

“Quite so,” Rhodey responded with the slightest curl of his lips. He didn’t like it when anyone treated his oldest friend any less than what he deserved.

Lord Pierce took a step back inviting the Guard and the Prince into the mansion. Tony and Rhodey stepped inside taking note of the two younger men standing at attention at the base of a staircase running their hands over their clothing in a motion that could only be described as primping.

“May I present my sons, Brock and Jack,” Lord Pierce announced.

Brock and Jack each stepped forward and bowed to Tony, never letting their eyes leave the Prince for a moment. Tony was struck with the memory of these two men doing the same thing during the ball right before he had caught sight of Bucky. Casting his gaze around the rest of the hall Tony couldn’t stop himself from hoping that history would repeat itself and Bucky would appear to him once more.

“Yes, well,” Rhodey hesitated, giving Tony a side eye at the overly familiar display before trying to get them back on track. “We are here under royal decree to find the man that fits this arm.”

With that Tony held out the metal arm that had fallen off of Bucky when he had run from the ball two nights prior.

Both of the younger Pierce men’s eyes widened and they lurched towards Tony, grabbing for the arm.

“Why that’s my arm,” Jack declared.

Brock shoved his brother aside. “No that’s my arm.”

Both men continued shoving each other as they tried to get their hands on the metal arm in Tony’s hands.

“Boys. Boys. Your manners,” Lord Pierce scolded his sons, casting a furtive glance over at Tony to try and gauge his reaction to his sons’ rude antics. “A thousand pardons your Highness.”

Tony pulled the arm back out of the men’s reach, not wanting either of these men to touch the arm that belonged to Bucky. They had no right to something that so obviously did not belong to them.

“I’m sure,” Tony said with a scowl but letting it go in an effort to move on to the purpose of the visit. “As we said, we are searching for the man that fits this arm. His name is Bucky and as your father has already given us your names we know that neither of you is who we are searching for. However if you know who that was and could direct us to the man of our search you would have the crown’s eternal gratitude.”

Brock shoved himself away from Jack and approached the Prince. “Bucky is a nickname that I have gone by for years now,” he said smoothly as though he wasn’t lying through his teeth. “I understand you not recognizing me on sight your Highness. It was awfully dark during the ball.”

Tony frowned at blatant falsehood. He hated when people talked down to him and tried to insult his intelligence but most weren’t as blatant as this.

“I spent hours with Bucky and I can say with absolute certainty that you aren’t him,” Tony snapped back. “Even if I had somehow mistaken his face for yours, you are still in possession of both of your arms and therefore could not possibly have lost this one.”

Brock swallowed hard, knowing he was being called out but not willing to back down from his story just yet. Not with the chance of marriage to the Prince on the line. “Well it’s obviously not my real arm. I just, I have a weakness in my real arm and use the metal one when attending official events like the ball.”

Tony growled in frustration. He wasn’t getting anywhere with these people and he was done wasting his time with them.

“Come on,” Tony said, motioning to Rhodey and walking towards the door. “This is pointless. They’re obviously lying and they won’t help us find Bucky. Let’s just cut our losses here and keep searching.”

“You are the only men in the household I hope?” Rhodey asked just to be sure but not bothering to hide his disdain for the noblemen.

Lord Pierce scowled at the obvious dismissal of him and his sons. “No. There is no one else your Highness.”

Tony and Rhodey gave sharp nods and started to walk out the door with the hopes of finding better luck elsewhere. Before they had made it more than a few steps the sound of shouting pulled them up short.

“Tony! Tony! Please wait!” Bucky shouted as he hurried down the second floor hallway and paused at the top of the large main staircase.

Every head whipped around to stare at him.

“Pay no attention to him,” Lord Pierce snapped. “That’s just James.”

Tony’s eyes widened and a smile of delight broke out across his face at the sight of Bucky. Turning around Tony stepped back into the mansion, his undivided attention caught solely on the appearance of the new man.

“He can’t possibly be the person you are looking for your Highness,” Lord Pierce continued to protest, moving to block the bottom of the stairs as though he would be able to hold the young man back. “His name is James, not Bucky. He’s nothing more than the scullery boy for the house.”

“Sir, with all due respect I know who I am looking for and there is no doubt in my mind that this is Bucky,” Tony said, voice firm and head tipped back to stare down the Lord. He would not allow anyone to stand in his way at this point after everything he had gone through to find the man of his dreams

Lord Pierce held his arms out in one last desperate attempt to prevent Bucky from escaping his grasp. “There is no way that James can be the man you are looking for. He never left the mansion to go to the ball.”

“I can prove it though,” Bucky said as he made his way down the stairs.

As he walked Bucky pulled his shirt off over his head revealing the port attached directly to his shoulder. A quiet gasp came from each of the Pierce men that everyone else completely ignored. Pushing his way past Lord Pierce, Tony strode over to Bucky’s side holding out the arm. With Tony’s help Bucky reached out and reattached the arm to the shoulder port, snapping it in place with a decisive click.

Tony pulled his hands away while Bucky opened and closed his metal hand with the same ease as his flesh one just as he had during the ball.

“Bucky,” Tony sighed happily, beyond relieved to have found the man that was well on his way to stealing the Prince’s heart.

“Lord James Barnes if you want to be technical about it,” Bucky admitted with a flush. “I wasn’t lying though about being called Bucky. My father used to call me that before he died.”

“Well then, James or Bucky, it makes no difference to me. You are the man I have been searching for and the man I’d love to bring home to introduce to my parents. Would you be willing?” Tony asked.

“I would love nothing more than that,” Bucky promised.

Tony smiled widely and held out his arm as he had when asking Bucky for a dance. With an answering smile just as big Bucky took the offered arm and walked with Tony arm in arm out of the house that had kept him captive for the past ten years and into his future. Rhodey followed behind them closing the door in the Pierces’ face and shutting them away from ever getting their hands on Bucky ever again.

There were still things to work out, time for Bucky to get to know Tony more, but from where he was standing, it felt like all of his dreams were coming true. There was no doubt in Bucky’s mind that he and Tony were about to live happily ever after.


End file.
